Trash into Beauty

When life gets hard, your perspective can make all the difference.

Perspective is the theme of an art piece called “Sunset Over Manhattan.” When it was presented in galleries, the piece was located in a dark room. When viewers entered, a light from above came on and illuminated an old table against the far wall. Scattered across the table were old bottles, scraps of newspaper, and soda cans shot through with BB guns.

At first, viewers stood there, wondering why the artist believed a table filled with garbage would communicate something meaningful. But just before they walked away scratching their heads, the lighting in the room shifted. The ceiling light turned off and a spotlight in the corner of the room turned on, illuminating the display from a new direction. It was then that they discovered that the bottles and soda cans created a sunset silhouette of the New York City skyline against the wall.

The point of the art piece was to communicate about perception. What viewers first perceived as trash was actually the source of something deeper and more beautiful.

It’s true for you as well. When you see the ugly parts in your life in a new light, you’ll awaken to a new perspective that reframes everything you thought you were seeing. “As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

Right now, your struggles may seem too painful to bring about anything good. But if can see things in a new light, beauty can emerge.